The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has been the premier communication policy center in the country since its founding in 1993. By conducting and releasing research, staging conferences and hosting policy discussions, its scholars have addressed the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics and mental health, among other important arenas. The Center’s researchers have drafted materials that helped policy-makers, journalists, scholars, constituent groups and the general public better understand the role that media play in their lives and the life of the nation. The Policy Center maintains offices in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Green Initiatives at the APPC
Annenberg Public Policy Center participants will document their ongoing green projects on this page.
September 2011
The Annenberg Public Policy Center is part of a new initiative to reduce paper usage at printers and copiers at the School for Communication and at APPC. Each month, users are given a report of how much they have printed; where they ranked in paper usage among all users; and the total amount of paper printed in both buildings. In the first eight months of 2011, the amount of paper equaled 3 1/2 tons. The users are notified individually by e-mail, and the information is confidential. This effort is aimed at raising awareness among users about their paper use.
March 2011: We are pleased to give you an update on the installation of a videoconference room at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The equipment has been installed, and a final piece of the package will be put in place on March 15.
The room is equipped with a Tandberg HD videoconferencing system with dual 60-inch LCD displays, touch panel controller, integrated camera, eight microphones, and speakers, with interface for plugging in a laptop. The final piece to be installed is a product that allows one to install a client applet on a laptop or desktop computer and videoconference with the Tandberg system at APPC from anywhere without needing to have a full-blown standards-based conferencing system. We will have a certain number of licenses for this process.
We look forward to testing and using our videoconference room with other Annenberg centers and groups this spring.
November 2010: We are pleased to tell you that the Annenberg Public Policy Center will be installing a videoconferencing room that will be ready for use early next year. The room will be equipped with a Tandberg HD videoconferencing system with dual 60-inch LCD displays, touch panel controller, integrated camera, eight microphones, and speakers, with interface for plugging in a laptop.
We promise to share with you the specifications of the room as we develop them.
September 2010: A comprehensive guide to recycling at APPC and the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn is released for the new school year. (See documents for the guidelines) The document was disseminated via an email blast as well as posted in recycling areas in the buildings and on the website. A central recycling center is planned at ASC, and APPC will contribute recyclable items. Annenberg goes beyond Penn's guidelines by also recycling cell phones, CFLs and batteries. The Annenberg Green Team developed the guidelines.
July 2010: The Annenberg Green Team at APPC and the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn organized a book drive to "recycle" books to Philadelphia Reads (an organization that provides Philadelphia teachers with classroom books), Books Through Bars (a program that provides educational marterials to inmates) and city public libraries, which hold book sales to raise funds.
The Green Team also initiated a Most Wanted Poster that is periodically circulated via email to point out recyclables that have ended up in the trash. (See documents for an example). This is part of an ongoing educational process to the staff about the many items that are recycled in the buildings.
The APPC Worm Composting Project got under way with the arrival of the worms. (See photos and documents) The goals of this project, funded by a grant from the Penn Green Fund, are to recycle staffers' food waste through the composter and to educate about how composting works.
May 2010, APPC Starts Recycling CDs, DVDs, and No. 5 Plastics
These links provide more information.
www.cdrecyclingcenter.com
http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/gimme5.html
March 2010, Annenberg Green Team Formed
ASC and APPC staff members teamed up in March to form the Annenberg Green Team. The team also is working with the University of Pennsylvania’s new Staff Eco-Reps program, a volunteer group representing different schools, departments and centers. At its first meeting, team members brainstormed immediate and long-term proposals. Below are some of the ideas:
- Contributing Green Tips to the monthly staff newsletter: The first tip could be a seasonal one about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), community gardens, and possible organizing a staff vegetable share for the office gardeners.
- Eliminating disposable coffee cups and cutlery: The BYO policy for internal staff events could be promoted with a giveaway such as a free coffee mug
- Promoting the university’s pen recycling program
- Using desk lamps as alternative to overhead lighting
- Adding motion sensors for bathroom lighting
- Setting up a special meeting for event planners to discuss how to throw a sustainable event
- Creating an opt-in list serv for Annenberg community to promote the reuse and recycling of personal possessions
- Making double-sided printing the default
- Measuring the amount of paper used in printers and copiers – reducing by 10%
- Replacing Keurig coffee machine with environmentally friendly alternative
- Installing electric hand dryers
- Combining efforts on composting
- Doing a feasibility stuff for a green roof for ASC
March 2010, APPC Awarded Grant for Worm Composting Project
The Annenberg Public Policy Center received a grant for a worm composting project to start this spring. The project is intended to educate staffers in a fun way about how to compost food waste by using material from the building's kitchens. Another goal is to encourage staffers to start their own compost sites at home. The Penn Green Fund, an initiative of Penn's Green Campus Partnership, awards grants to green projects proposed by students, faculty and staff.